From the vast amounts of recent reports and research in the market, one thing is pretty clear: video is growing – and it’s growing at a rapid rate. According to global networking giant, Cisco, video will account for 79% of all consumer internet traffic in 2018. It’s no wonder big brands and businesses are investing more in video content. According to an article in the Guardian, 64% of marketers expect video to dominate their strategies in the near future. With this growth comes innovation and new technology. Here are our top 4 trends for the future of video we think you need to know about.
1. Video communities are on the rise
Digital technology has fundamentally changed the way we interact with media. In the days of analogue TV, audiences watched what was available – and this was limited to a few channels.
Now, we have far more control. We watch whatever we want, wherever we want and whenever we want. Traditional audiences are now being replaced with ‘video communities.’
Video communities are passionate and they actively seek and engage with content. They not only watch but they converse and share their experiences across multiple channels. Think Games of Thrones – are people who watch this an audience or a community?
Video is a core part of the conversation, and thus video communities have much greater value. So for content marketers, it’s about making video experiences as expansive, rich and informative as possible.
So next time you create video content, think about your audiences a little differently. Compel them with your video and they’ll do the sharing for you!
2. Content will always be king
A well-known adage among communication professionals – quality content will still be king (if not more important) in the future of video.
YouTube is one of the largest video platforms in the world – and number one in UK. According to Comscore the average YouTube visitor watches 388.3 minutes of video each month.
It’s no wonder big brands and businesses want to know how to effectively engage audiences on this platform.
Creative Solutions Manager at Google, Maura Rosenbilt said the number one question brands ask is ‘How do we make a video go viral?’ Her response? There’s no silver bullet, engagement with video content has and will always come down to quality content.
A great example is Volvo Trucks – The Epic Split feat. Van Damme which garnered an exceptional level of engagement considering the niche product – Volvo Truck Dynamic Steering. The ad was creative and compelling and attracted over 70 million views wordwide.
When you’re thinking about how to create quality content for your next video, Google’s advice is to “be brave, test, learn & reiterate and have fun!
3. Big businesses are investing in Video
500 years of YouTube video are watched every day on Facebook! Recognising this growth, Facebook recently purchased Liverail, a video advertising platform to enhance their video advertising capability. This will include the ability to track viewer metrics, re-target people who’ve already watched a video and insert call-to-action links within video ads.
Facebook has now also introduced Video Calling to rival similar services Skype and Apple’s Facetime. No wonder USA today cited Facebook as ‘Silicon Valley’s new powerhouse.’
If organisations the size and scale of Facebook are investing in video, it’s definitely an investment your business should be thinking about too.
4. Think of your customers as filmmakers
Crowd-sourcing content is not only for small start-ups looking for funding anymore. Big brands are looking to consumers to help create video content for their major marketing campaigns.
Organisations like MOFILM are connecting big brands directly to filmmakers. They send out filmmaker briefs and run major video competitions on behalf of clients.
This ‘democratisation of video content’ allows brands to access authentic, creative content, while simultaneously discovering filmmaking talent from around the world. The winning entries are powerful, and often the stories behind each filmmaker is fascinating, adding to audience appeal.
Carla Deluca from MOFILM shared some wonderful examples of winning briefs. The best was from Sovereign Santander Bank, whose brief was “Tell a story about 3-5 items on your bank statement”. Here’s the winning entry:
So think about running your own video competition or involving your own customers as part of your next campaign. It’s a creative and cost effective way to gather video content and you’ll engage through the process in a unique and memorable way.
Special thanks to Visual Culture in Australia for providing us with the content for this blogwww.visualculture.com.au